You may have heard of LUMOS mainly because of its affordable projectors, we even have reviewed one here. This time around, we have the LUMOS ATOM, which is a 1080p portable projector that also comes with Netflix, YouTube, and built-in speakers. I’ve been having it for more than a month and here’s the full review!
LUMOS ATOM Specs
- Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD)
- Display Technology: Premium DLP
- Brightness: 6,000 Lumens
- Contrast Ratio: 4000:1
- LED Lamp Life: >50,000 Hours
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9/4:3
- Projected Screen Size: 50-300 inches
- Projection Distances: 1.5m – 9.0m
- Short Throw Ratio: 1.3:1
- Keystone Correction: Horizontal & Vertical ±15° (Using Adjustment Mechanism); In-built auto vertical adjustment
- Interfaces: HDMI x 1, USB x 2, audio jack
- Control: Premium Touch Pad Control, Motion Control Remote
- Supply Power: DC 15V, 3A
- Consumption: 35W
- Battery Life: 2 Hours of Playtime (2-3 Hours to charge)
- Weight: 0.8kg
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Android 7.1
Design
Weighing at just 800g, the LUMOS ATOM is a pretty portable projector in a size of a 1.5L water bottle. It is made of matte aluminum with perforated grills covering most of the cylinder, and there’s a mono speaker in it. Overall, it’s fairly portable as I can bring it everywhere easily, though it struggles to fit in certain bags, which actually becomes a problem sometimes.
The top of the projector is the ring shape touch control panel. The center area works just like a touchpad on your laptop, but I do prefer using the included remote control so that I don’t need to reach the projector once I’m at a distance.
Moving to the front of the projector, you’ll see the lens that can be covered by a plastic flap to protect the lens from scratches. There’s a focus adjuster scroll wheel next to it. On top of the lens is another sensor, which works just like a 3D ToF sensor on most smartphones nowadays, which is there for the auto vertical adjustment and also judging the distance.
The back of the projector houses the power button and all I/O ports — a 3.5mm audio jack, two USB ports (only one offers power), a full-sized HDMI port, and a power port. I do actually hope that it comes with a USB-C port so that it could be powered by a power bank.
There’s a 1/4-inch tripod screw mount at the bottom of the projector so that you can mount it to any compatible camera tripod. The base also has a rubberized surface for added stability when you place it on the table.
Projection Quality
The LUMOS ATOM can project Full HD resolution with 6,000 lumens of brightness and up to 300 inches, just like the bulky LUMOS AURO. The ideal distance is 3 meters apart, which projects about 100 inches. The images and the text are relatively sharp and clear, and movies look vivid and punchy on a white wall, but colors will be washed out during the daytime, though it is still visible.
It also comes with keystone correction, and there’s also automatic keystone correction where everything will be automatically calibrated. If it is imperfect, you can always manually adjust it. Additionally, it will also autofocus when you move it around, such a convenient feature!
As expected, the mono speaker doesn’t sound impressive. I would recommend you connect to a Bluetooth speaker for a more immersive cinematic experience.
User Experience
Just like the AURO, the LUMOS ATOM runs on Android OS, but it has been updated to Android 7.1. The overall experience is quite similar to the combination of a smart TV and an Android tablet. It comes with pre-installed apps like Netflix and YouTube, two media apps that I use the most nowadays. The interface is pretty straightforward, it shows the inputs, settings, and apps on the homescreen. You can navigate the system using a mouse + keyboard or with the remote control that comes together in the box. In my opinion, I think the whole interface is less responsive, but it’ll work, and sometimes navigating through the mouse won’t work all the time, it’s better for you to use the remote control included. You can still use it as a regular project, all you need to do is just connect it via HDMI then you are good to go. Keep in mind that it supports up to 1080p@60Hz.
Battery Life
The LUMOS ATOM took around 2 hours to charge fully. Yes, you can use it without the charger, but that’ll offer you up to 2 hours of battery life on moderate use. If you plan to use it as a standalone home projector, just connect it to the wall outlet.
Final Words
Retailing at RM2,999, the LUMOS ATOM is not the cheapest 1080p projector you can get in the market, but I would say it is worth every penny. It is a portable projector that you can bring it everywhere and it also runs on Android, which also works as a standalone device. For more info, do head over to the link here.
Yay
- Portable
- Good display projection
Nay
- Less responsive interface
- Not the cheapest 1080p projector